1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to closed loop financial transactions. More specifically, the present invention is a method and apparatus for processing financial transactions automatically, including loans, applications for credit, establishment of accounts and other transactions that typically take place at banks.
2. Discussion of Background
Currently, consumers go to banks, credit unions and other types of financial institutions for a wide variety of services. At these institutions, one can deposit and withdraw money, transfer funds from one account to another, establish checking and savings accounts, arrange for automatic deposits to and withdrawals from accounts, apply for credit and debit cards, establish and fund individual retirement accounts, purchase certificates of deposit and savings bonds, obtain cashier's checks, and order checks for checking accounts. Although the numbers and types of financial institutions have proliferated, going to these during normal working hours is still a chore.
For years, night deposit boxes have made it possible for businesses and individuals to deposit money in a bank after hours. The advent of automatic teller machines make some of these financial services, particularly withdrawal of funds from checking accounts and the obtaining of cash advances against a credit card limit, possible both during the day and after normal banking hours. Of course, many financial transactions can still be handled through the mail. Nonetheless, there remains a significant number of services that can only be provided to a consumer if he or she is willing and able to go to a financial institution to get them.
An example of one such service is borrowing money. Borrowed money is essential to facilitate commerce and personal finance. Individuals and businesses borrow money on both a short term and a long term basis for better management of their day-to-day financial transactions and to obtain the goods and services they need when they need them. If the need to borrow money is anticipated, the arrangements for borrowing can be made in advance of the need. But financial needs are sometimes not foreseen, and the extent of a financial need is not always known or knowable in advance. Furthermore, these arrangements are usually somewhat of a necessary inconvenience because they take time and effort to complete.
When an individual needs to borrow money, the lender will not only expect repayment, but will also want to have confidence that the amount lent can be repaid on time. The effort by the borrower to provide the lender with this confidence level will depend on the amount lent. For example, a loan of less than one hundred dollars might be made simply on the basis of knowing that the individual to whom the money is lent has a job. For lending millions of dollars, the lender may want to take a security interest in assets that have a value in excess of the amount lent, to cover fluctuations in the values of those assets during the time the loan is being repaid.
Not only will the borrower have an obligation to convince the lender that the borrower is creditworthy, the lender also has obligations to the borrower. For example, in consumer loans, laws require the lender to carefully explain certain aspects of the terms of the loan, and, if the borrower's application for the loan is turned down, the reasons why.
When time and foresight permit advance arrangement of loans, the act of borrowing can be made much simpler. When time is short and the need for the loan was not anticipated, the act of going through the process of borrowing may be so time-consuming that obtaining the loan may not be possible at all.
Typically, a business and an individual will either borrow relatively small amounts using credit cards, with preapproved credit limits or go to a lending institution for larger sums, where the process of completing documentation for borrowing money takes longer and is subject to conditions that must be fulfilled before the loan can be made. Naturally, for large loans the safeguards for the lender take time. But for smaller loans, those above credit-card limits but still below a level where there might be a significant concern of the ability of the lender to repay the loan, there exists a need for greater convenience.
Other services offered by banks, such as applying for credit cards, are similar to borrowing money insofar as applications must be completed and processed for approval. Others are essentially administrative, such as opening a checking or savings account, obtaining additional checks and obtaining a debit card. All such services must be obtained by going to a bank and completing the necessary documentation, with the attendant inconvenience.